The Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) provides a crucial role in delivery of public health services to the North Queensland community, operating 18 hospitals and community health campuses as well as two residential aged care facilities servicing an area of around 148,000 square kilometres with a resident community of over 230,000 people. THHS also attracts patients from a broader catchment extending from Mackay in the south to the Torres Strait Islands in the north, and west to the Northern Territory border.

The socio-economic significance of THHS to the region extends well beyond the health care services they provide. THHS is one of North Queensland’s largest employers, directly providing jobs for around 6,250 staff, and provides a significant contribution to the North Queensland economy. AEC examined the important economic contribution of THHS to the North Queensland economy through operational activities of THHS and the expenditure of patients and visiting friends/ family attracted to the region for health services, as well as construction works undertaken to maintain a high standard of patient care.

The results of this assessment are being used by THHS to grow awareness of the important direct role and broader socio-economic contribution THHS provides to the North Queensland economy.

If you have any queries related to this study or require evidence-based research to demonstrate the socio-economic contribution of your business or industry, please contact Ashley Page ashley.page@aecgroupltd.com.